Mad Hungry Matriarch

Everyone calls her Rose, even the family, which might seem strange, except that you want to say “Rose” because she has all the beauty attendant with that name. She married Lucinda’s dad, an Italian-American, three times (don’t ask, we’ll let her tell it some day) and also had three sons, Jim, David, and Peter. With no family roots of her own in Italy, she managed to out-Italian the Italian cooks in her husband’s family by making everything better, smarter, and more delicious. Why individually stuff 25 artichokes when you can buy artichoke hearts, toss them with the stuffing, and bake multiple trays at a time like this recipe? If everyone loves the meatballs so much, then why not make them into little mini sandwiches, and serve them as snacks and appetizers…a lot of them. At a time when 1950’s America was foisting processed food on American housewives, Rose stuck to her guns and cooked simple, fresh food every day for her family of six. Her salad dressing alone made enthusiastic salad eaters of the whole family. She gave the kids daily jobs, including setting out all the morning breakfast supplies (plates, bowls, forks, napkins, cereal, fruit etc) as the last job before going to bed. Give her a reason to laugh and she’ll crack up harder than anyone. Without judgement, or rancor, it’s natural for her to find the positive in any difficult situation. She is a true artistic soul, having attended art school at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit in the 40’s, with a wild and diverse crowd, with whom she was known to skip out to see Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong at a local club. Rose inspires us all to stay in the moment, and find the everyday beauty life has to offer. And no-one, NO-ONE makes a tuna sandwich like her.